Your Captain Needs Saving
by athanharthad
Summary: When Steve starts acting weird, Tony becomes suspicious. After uncovering a dark secret, Tony and the avengers must race to help Steve before it's too late. NO SLASH.
1. Chapter 1

Ch.1

Tony barely made it up the stairs. He had left a trail of his iron man suit behind him as he slowly tore it off piece by piece. The repairman that passed him on the stairs almost killed himself tripping on the pieces.

"Sorry." Tony said. The repairman didn't look back.

They had just saved New York from yet another alien invasion. But this time it took them a good three days.

Tony collapsed on the couch in his undergarments.

"Jarvis, order pizza. Where's Steve? He usually doesn't want pizza. Jarvis, ask him what he wants and get it for him. Lord knows how much food that dude needs right now."

"Sir, Captain Rogers is not in the Tower."

"That's weird."

The whole team said they were on their way to the Tower after they visited first aid, and Steve had left before they did. He should be here by now.

"Maybe he stopped to pick up something for himself."

The team arrived shortly after and sat in Stark Tower in silence as they successfully ate 10 whole pies. Thor ate half of that on his own and he wasn't done.

This was their usual ritual after large battles like this. They ate, they rested, they watched tv. It was great for recuperation and team bonding. They had truly become a family in the past few months. None of them would admit it, but they all silently agreed that they loved being together. You really learn a lot about somebody after you've been to war with them. A person's true character comes out when they are faced with death. Needless to say, they all knew just about everything about each other. There were no real secrets to be kept.

A few hours later, they all sprawled out in the living room as Tony put Star Wars (their favorite movies) in. About 20 minutes later everyone fell asleep.

Tony awoke at the sound of footsteps creeping in the hallway. They were silent and slow. Tony's heart raced. _Its an intruder_ he thought to himself. It was dark inside the house but he could clearly see the hunched figure walk by.

It was Steve.

"Cap. You scared me. I thought you were another alien coming after us.", Tony laughed. "Want some food? We've still got some left. I had to hide the last of it from Thor though."

Steve shook his head and kept walking to his room. Tony heard the lock turn.

"Ok, that was weird." Tony said to himself. He resumed watching the movie and promptly fell asleep like the others.

Tony woke up from the same position he fell asleep in. The Star Wars title page was on the screen and light was peeking in through the blinds.. He looked around and found that no one else had stirred. He stood up slowly and stretched his sore limbs. It felt like he had been hit by a bus. Well, actually he had. Or rather, the bus had been hit by him.

He heard the kitchen sink running and found Steve washing his dishes. It looked like he had just finished breakfast.

"Hey there," Tony said as cheerfully as he could, despite the fact that it was 7am and he was NOT a morning person.

Steve didn't look at Tony. "Hey."

"Where were you last night?"

"Huh?"

"Where were you? I mean we have a ritual. Every time we save the world from impending doom, we meet back here for food."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You still didn't answer my question."

Steve turned off the water and grabbed a towel and started drying. He turned to face Tony.

Tony swore he saw bags under his eyes. He didn't look right.

Steve finally answered, "The chief wanted to talk to me about some things."

"The chief wanted to talk to you about some things? For four hours? After you had been fighting for 3 days?"

Steve shifted, "It wasn't four hours."

"Umm yeah it was big guy. We got home at 7, you didn't roll around til after 11."

"Oh… well I guess time got away. Anyway, I have to go."

Steve turned to grab his coat, but Tony wouldn't let it go.

"Have to go where?"

"I have things to do Tony, believe it or not."

"You were out all night, now you have things to do first thing in the morning? Steve, you don't look so good, you need to slow down. Your body needs to recuperate after such a grueling experience."

"I know what my body needs, Tony. You sound like my mother."

"Well sorry for caring about you. I thought that was what friends did for each other."

Steve didn't respond, but marched out of the room.

Tony was angry. Why was Steve being so weird all of a sudden. He was always the one to be the 'mother' of the group. He always was telling people to rest and to allow time to rest after battles such a these. But today, their places had been reversed.

He decided not to be bothered by the issue any further. After all, this was not the first time he butted heads with Steve and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

He went to his room and fell asleep… Like Steve should have been doing.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Tony found himself at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. The avengers always ended up back here after saving the world so Fury could yell at them for something or something. Tony never paid attention anyway. The avengers sat around a long conference table.

"Morning guys." Natasha said with an almost sarcastic tone. She perched on the chair next to Clint.

"Why do mortals always have meetings such as these? It is not normal." Thor said tiredly.

"I mean, we gave our bodies for these people. Risked our lives. Yet they still find something to yell at us about." Bruce added.

"Yeah we should threaten to quit if we have to sit through one more meeting." Clint suggested.

Steve walked through the door and sat in the chair directly across from Tony. He was usually happy to follow protocol and tried to convince everyone of how important it was. But today, he sat down without a word and kept his head down and traced mindless doodles on a sheet of paper.

Tony took a mental note. But before he could say anything, the doors opened and in walked Chief Davidson with Director Fury behind him.

Tony barely caught the fear that flashed across Steve's face. That was something he had genuinely never seen before on him.

"Good morning, my avengers." the Chief said with a false warmness.

When no one answered him, he continued, "You guys did a great job the other day in New York, and we are ever indebted to your services. However, I have not been pleased with the amount of reckless behavior displayed by your team."

"Reckless behavior?" Natasha asked.

"Yes, Miss Romanov. Reckless. Unnecessary civilian deaths, buildings being torn apart. Roads torn up. Vehicles demolished. It's all too much. And it needs to be stopped."

"With all due respect sir, Can you really peg this as our fault? I mean it was the aliens, not us, who decided to start open war in the city. We were there to stop it, not fuel the fire." Tony asked with as much patience as he could muster, but this guy was spewing absurdities.

"Understood Mr. Stark. But even someone at your caliber could understand that destruction means money wasted."

"So this is about money?" Clint piped up.

"No, it certainly is not." Clint and Natasha looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"It's about control. You guys are acting like you are out of control, and we cannot have that. The US government is already on our backs about putting you under contracts and such to keep you under tabs, so things like this are not helping our case. This is why we will be keeping track of all the unnecessary damage you inflict from here on out."

Steve shifted uncomfortably in his seat but kept his head down. Tony remembered him to be the first one to offer his opinion on things like this, but he still had yet to chip in.

Director Fury mediated, " I know you guys don't think it's your fault that this stuff is happening, and it's not… to an extent. But there is always room for improvement."

Davidson rounded the table until he stood behind Steve. "I think your Captain would agree that the less damage that is done, the better it is. Right, Captain?"

Davidson put his hands on his shoulders awkwardly and rubbed. It was impossible to miss Steve's flinch.

"Yes." Steve said in monotone.

"Here, have some water. A big guy like you needs to stay hydrated." Davidson whispered to him and handed him a water bottle.

The entire team sat in confusion at what had transpired.

Fury turned on the projector and showed footage of the hulk smashing into building, iron man falling onto a school bus, Clint blowing up part of a playground etc.

In the dark of the room, Tony saw the Chief bend over and whisper into Steve's ear. Steve stiffly nodded in reply. And sunk in his chair once he left.

After the footage stopped, the lights turned back on and Davidson and Fury promptly left with a warning to the team to be mindful of the damage they cause.


	3. Chapter 3

"Pass the ball!" Tony yelled at Thor.

Thor threw it to Tony and he went in for a layup, successfully scoring on Clint.

"That's two points, Bruce!"

"I know Tony. I'm not completely helpless when it comes to sports." Bruce replied as he flipped the score.

After the eventful debriefing they just sat through. Tony suggested playing basketball in the Stark Tower gym. The entire team unanimously agreed since they felt like they needed an outlet after the frustration they had just experienced.

"Ok I think we need a timeout to rethink our strategy." Natasha said.

"I think we need a timeout to rethink our lives, Nat." Clint joked.

Everyone sat on the benches to take a water break.

"Sir, Captain Rogers has just entered the Tower." Jarvis' voice rang out.

"Tell him to get down here. Clint and Natasha need some help." Tony said.

"You wish, Stark." Natasha spat back.

"Nat, I love you, but you need to know when it's time to ask for help. Its 40-12. Enough is enough."

"Our new strategy is gonna blow your f- hey Steve!" Natasha quickly covered up the foul language that was about to spew out of her mouth.

Steve walked in slowly and leaned against the doorway. He looked exhausted. "Jarvis said you guys needed help?"

Natasha laughed, "Oh no, he meant we needed help beating Tony and Thor in basketball."

"I thought your new strategy was enough?" Tony mocked.

"Steve IS our new strategy." Clint said sarcastically.

Steve looked around in confusion.

"How about it Cap? Ready to relive your youth days? Or did they have basketball back in the stone ages?"

"I would rather not…"

"Oh come on Steven! Your presence would be most welcome! Even if it WERE for the opposition." Thor said.

Tony threw the ball to Steve who fumbled for the ball awkwardly. He tried more to block it from his body than catch it.

Again Tony made a mental note at how weird Steve was acting lately. He had never seen him look that uncoordinated.

Steve bent over to pick it up and almost fell over.

"Are you ok?" Bruce said, standing up. He wasn't a medical doctor but he kind of had to learn the tool of the trade as being the only 'doctor' on the team.

Steve regained his balance and held onto the doorpost. "Yeah, I'm fine. I haven't had much rest recently and I'm just tired. I think I'm gonna go get some sleep." Steve turned to leave very slowly. Tony also took note of the sweat beading his forehead.

The next several weeks were strange. Weird. Tony cant explain it any other way. Steve is acting so out of the ordinary it no longer surprises him.

The way Steve apologizes for everything. Even the most trivial things. The way he no longer voices his opinion. The way he shudders from the touch of everyone on the team. The way he is always in his room resting because he is just too damn exhausted to do anything else except go to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ and sleep.

Today is a big day though. Tony actually convinced Steve to come to his (well, Pepper's) annual charity ball. Well, it was more Pepper than Tony. Steve always had a soft spot for Pepper and never seemed to refuse anything she asked of him. She had advertised that the avengers would be there to increase attendance and 'the team wouldn't be the team without their captain'. Damn she was good.

Steve had been in his room all day. When it came time to go, Tony knocked on the door to his room.

"Steve? You in there? It's time to go, buddy."

When there was no answer, Tony slowly opened the door, hoping to God that there wasn't a naked cap on the other side of the door.

He didn't find a naked cap, but he did find a tuxedo-wearing cap, a slouched cap sitting on the side of his bed with his back to the door.

"Cap? We have to go. Are you ready?"

"Huh? Oh yeah sorry." he got up and suddenly fell to his knees.

"What the -." Tony gasped. He ran over to steady Steve.

He was gasping and had his eyes glued shut in pain.

"What's the matter?" Tony said as he placed his hand on Steve's back.

Steve screamed in pain.

Tony quickly took his hand off his back and noticed that his hand was hot and red with blood. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Is this blood?" Tony asked Steve.

Steve didn't answer as he evened out his breathing. Tony helped him get back on the bed.

Clint's voice rang out from down the hall, "We're getting in the car, Tony!"

Tony, exasperated, yelled back, "Ok! I'm gonna take my own car, go on without me!" He had no idea what was going on. He looked back at Steve who was pale and shaking in Tony's arms.

"Steve, you have to answer me. Is this your blood?" Tony said sternly. It felt like he was talking to a child.

Steve nodded, almost embarrassed.

"Let me take off your jacket and your shirt."

"No Tony…" Steve started to struggle weakly against him.

"Nope. uh uh I'm taking off your shirt since apparently you are too weak to stop me." _, my goodness he's too weak to stop me._

He slowly and very painstakingly took off his tux jacket which revealed a very bloody white dress shirt. His back was soaked in blood. He slowly unbuttoned and managed to get off the dress shirt even though it stuck to the measley bandages that were scarcely placed on his back to try and soak the blood on their own accord. Tony almost laughed at the pathetic bandaging job done.

Steve's sudden groan woke him from his stupor.

"What do I do? I have to get Bruce."

"No...please."

"Why not Steve?" Tony said almost angrily.

Steve opened his eyes and looked dead in Tony's eyes, "No one can know."

Tony was scared. What was going on? "Ok fine. It has to be me then. No promises. Lay on your stomach."

"No I have to go to the ball… I promised Pepper…" Steve said groggily.

"Yeah no you aren't going anywhere big guy. You can't even sit up on your own, much less go to a charity ball. Come on, let's get you on your stomach."

Steve couldn't do it on his own so Tony had to lower him down. When he removed the bandages. Steve's back showed angry whip marks all over his back and sides. He was still bleeding profusely. And the skin was all puffy and red. _Great it's infected._ He went to get a first aid kit and quickly went to work wiping the blood away. It didn't do much good because as soon as he wiped away blood, more would come.

"Alright big guy, I'm gonna have to stitch this up. But before I do that, I have to clean it out. It's infected pretty badly."

Steve could only let out a huff of strangled breath in reply.

Tony was horrified beyond belief at the sight before him and at the thought of what he was about to do. He was no doctor but he was put in this situation and he had to help his friend.

Tony put rubbing alcohol on a towel and began wiping away at the deep cuts.

Steve writhed in agony as soon as the towel touched his skin. His fists clenched the bed sheets and he groaned pathetically. Tony had never seen Steve in this state before and it scared him. It scared him a lot. His cheeks flushed red with the confrontation of pain he was inflicting.

He applied more alcohol and Steve did all he could not to scream. He whimpered and writhed under his touch. Tony tried not to notice the tears that fell from Steve's face, which somehow made tears fall down his own face. "I'm sorry." he whispered. But Steve was too far gone to hear it.

Steve didn't start screaming until the 5th application. "It's ok, let it out big guy. You deserve it."

Tony couldn't help but wonder who in the hell he was supposed to kill for doing this to his friend. His _best_ friend.

"Ok I think that's enough of the alcohol. It's too bad you can't get drunk, huh." He looked at Steve to see that his eyes had closed. He secretly hoped he was unconscious so he wouldn't feel anymore pain. At least for the time being.

He went to work sewing up his wrangled back. His thoughts wandered to wondering how long he had had this on his back. Was it all day? Why wasn't he healing as fast as he should be?

He put his hand on Steve's forehead. He was burning up. Great now he had a fever. Add that to the list of great things Steve has gone through today. He went to work stitching the worst of the gashes and bandaging the shallower ones...though there seemed to be significantly less of those. It was going to be a long night.

Tony stayed awake the entire night, watching anxiously as Steve fought his fever. Tony replaced his ice packs every twenty minutes to make sure he wasn't overheating. It was killing him not knowing what was going on or why Steve was in such a state.

But in a state he was. Steve writhed endlessly through the whole night. His muscles clenched and unclenched constantly. He shivered and shook and cried out in the night. Tony did his best to calm him through the worst of it. At one point it got so bad that Tony had to hold him down so he wouldn't rip his stitches that he worked so hard to master.

His heart broke every time Steve whimpered. He would never admit it, but he cried almost the whole night in shame that he hadn't noticed his pain sooner.

At about 4 in the morning Steve suddenly woke out of breath.

He gasped as he looked around. He saw Tony staring at him. "Tony…" he said hoarsely.

"You're alright big guy."

Steve gasped as he tried to reposition himself. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you would tell me."

Steve laid in silence for a little while before he remembered.

"So, are you going to let me in on this little secret of yours, or do you just want me to pretend I didn't just see the recognition on your face."

"You aren't supposed to know."

"Oh. I'm not supposed to know that you are sitting in here bleeding to death? I'm not supposed to know that someone did this to you? And the fact that you aren't giving me his name so I can go kick his ass right now? Steve, tell me right now who did this to you."

It took a full minute before Steve answered. "Davidson."

"Davidson? Why would he do this to his best avenger?"

"I don't know. He was so angry about the damage thing and the money that went into it…"

"Wait a second, is that where you've been all this time? Those mysterious outings you have? The reason you've been going to HQ all the time? Because he calls you in to beat you?"

Steve stared at the ground. That was enough for Tony to realize that that was a yes.

"Oh my…. Steve, are you kidding me? How long has this been going on?"

"Weeks, months…. Idk I can't remember anymore."

Tony stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. "This is unbelievable. Why haven't you told us?"

"For the same reason I can't fight him back. He says that since I'm the leader of the avengers, I am the one who is most responsible… that I need to be reminded that I don't run the show, he does. And if I tell anyone about this, he will make somebody else do it."

"So he's beating you into submission and then he expects you to keep doing it so none of us have to?"

A moment of silence passed as Tony tried to register what he just heard.

"Steve, I don't even know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything. Just forget you ever heard this. He can't know you know."

"Steve, I'm not just going to sit by and watch you get beat."

"But you can't do anything about it or else he will take you too. There's no use both of us getting hurt."

"Oh right, it's just better for you to take it all and not say a freaking word about it. Is that what your plan is?"

"Tony, it's not that simple."

"No, it is that simple! You should have told us, Steve."

"No, I couldn't have. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself, knowing I did that to you."

"You aren't doing anything to us! It's Davidson. Not you! We can take the heat."

"Not like I can."

Tony stopped in disbelief. The pain behind the words he just heard were unlike anything he had ever heard. _Not like I can._ It was the sound of a person who knew how far he could be pushed because he was pushed there very often.

"Steve, what has he done to you?"

"It's not important Tony…"

"Yes it is. It's important to me. I want you to tell me what exactly he has done to you over the course of the past month or so since this started."

Steve was about to object again, but one glance at Tony made him realize he was not joking around. Steve closed his eyes in remembrance of the pain he had endured. "Well, as you can tell, he likes the whip." Steve attempted a laugh, but Tony's face fell. "Umm. He likes to test different combatant drugs on me." He had a flashback of himself writhing and screaming in utter agony as the drugs coursed like fire through his veins.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Like drugs he would use against the enemy to kill them. But since I have the serum, I can't get killed by them."

Tony laughed at the absurdity he was hearing.

"He also likes to drain blood from me so he can research the serum. He always claims he needs a lot of it." He flashed back to lying on the floor, clinging to life because so much blood had been taken from him. He almost died on that one. It seemed like Davidson always knew the exact limit he could push him to.

"Anything else?"

"He has a lot of bodyguards. He has them use different weapons on me. I don't remember anything else." He is struck by another flashback: _no, please, no more..._

"You aren't allowed to fight back? So what does he tie you up so those worthless henchmen can actually have a crack at you under the safety of restraints?"

"No, he doesn't usually restrain me. But for some reason I always feel weak and dizzy when I'm there. I don't know why. But they easily overpower me once I'm there."

"Steve…"

"No, Tony…"

"I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. I knew something weird was going on but I didn't know…" Tony's voice was cut off by a sob.

"Tony this isn't your fault."

Tony took Steve by the hand. Steve had never seen this tender side of Tony before. "I swear to you we will get you out of this."

Steve looked at Tony with tears in his eyes. "Thank you." he was beyond relieved to hear those words come from his lips.

"Please don't tell the others. At least not until you have a plan."

"OK, but hopefully I can figure this out before you have to go back. Just hold on. Steve."

"I will, now that you have my back."

"Literally and figuratively."

Steve laughed at this. He can't even remember the last time he felt this relieved.

"Now get some rest while I figure out something to tell Pepper why I wasn't at her ball."

Steve rested easier knowing he wasn't alone anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day Steve healed pretty quickly but he was still hurting and sore. It would take a while for it to completely heal. Luckily the team were collectively hung over from the night before so that bought them extra time to limp around the Tower for a little while with no probing questions about what happened.

Tony got Steve to the kitchen slowly but surely. He sat Steve down at the kitchen table while he cooked him breakfast.

"You've got to keep up your strength." Tony said for the hundredth time. And for the hundredth time, Steve would say. "I know."

Just as Tony served Steve his eggs, Bruce and Clint walked into the room.

Steve tried to sit as straight as he could. He kept telling himself that everything was alright.

"Good morning, guys." Bruce said groggily. They both looked horrible.

"Where were you guys last night?" Clint asked with squinted eyes at the invasive sunlight coming through the windows.

Steve tensed and eyed Tony who casually answered, "We were on our way when our car broke down in the middle of nowhere. Poor cap here had to walk all the way to the closest town to get a mechanic to drive over."

"That sucks." Clint retorted.

"Yeah, Pepper looked gorgeous." Bruce remarked.

Then Steve's phone rang. He looked at the screen and his face dropped. He looked at Tony and answered.

"Hello?...Yes, Sir… I understand, Sir,... Ok I will… Yes, Sir." Steve hung up and almost dropped his phone because he was shaking so hard.

"Who the hell are you still calling 'Sir'? You're Captain Freaking America. The only people you should be calling 'Sir' is the President of the United States and the Pope." Clint said, not looking up from the newspaper.

"You don't call the Pope 'Sir'." Bruce replied, not looking up from his phone.

"I don't care. The point is, Cap isn't supposed to act like he's submitting to anyone."

While Bruce and Clint were carrying on their conversation, Steve gestured to Tony that he wanted to go back to his room. So Tony pretended to bend over and pick up something from the table as Steve held onto his arm so he could get up from his chair. Then Tony let Steve walk in front of him. Tony put his hand on Steve's belt to subtly make sure Steve wouldn't topple over without raising suspicion. The last thing they needed right now was people asking questions.

Steve barely made it to his door. Tony then put his arm around him and helped him walk to his bed. By the time they got there, Steve was out of breath and slumped tiredly on Tony.

"He wants me there. In 3 hours."

Tony got hot with anger.

Steve wiped at his face. "I don't…. I don't think I can…"

"Of course you can do it, Steve. If anyone can get through it, it's you. And I promise you, this will be the last time. I already have an idea as to what I will do to get you out of there. I've already called some people, but they need a little more time."

Steve let out a huff of breath. "I know.. It's just that last time… last time was so bad." he could barely get out the last words in the memory of the whippings.

Tony didn't have anything to say to this. How could he? He knew this time would be just as bad as the last ones. What could he say to the man that was taking beatings in the place of his team? In his place? The man who could hurt so badly, but heal so quickly that everyone forgot he could feel in the first place.

"Let me see your back."

Steve slowly turned his position on the bed so his back faced Tony. Tony took off Steve's shirt to reveal slightly soiled bandages. He took them off and found that his wounds had all closed. They still were red and angry looking, but they were closed and no longer bleeding. This was a huge improvement from last night when he could have died from blood loss. It was almost like Davidson knew exactly how long it would take for Steve to heal before he had to go on to the next thing.

Tony rubbed ointment all over his back to help the healing process the serum had all but mastered. When he finished Steve put his shirt back on.

Steve grabbed something off his bedside table. "Whenever I used to get scared as a kid, my mother would always tell me to pray. And I've kept that tradition my whole life. I know it may seem silly to you, but it usually helps me feel peaceful. Would you like to pray with me?"

Tony was bewildered. No one had ever asked him that question before. Maybe Steve was an outdated crazy old/young guy who was too naive to believe anything else. Or maybe he was onto something. He didn't know which was right. But he did know that if this was something that would help Steve feel more at peace about the next few hours of hell he will have to go through, then he owes to Steve.

"Sure." Tony replied. Steve handed him a rosary.

Tony sat on Steve's bed, still clutching the rosary he had given him. Steve had left to meet with Davidson 2 hours ago. He just hoped beyond hope that he would survive this one last time so this could all end. No more secrets between them and the team, no more Steve being in pain. He talked to some of his most trusted lawyers about Davidson and they said they had heard rumors of him doing illegal things in the past that could get him locked away for life if they were true. They said they needed a day to find out. Tony trusted them. If this worked…. This really needed to work…

Tony clutched his phone in his hand with a vice-like grip. He told Steve to call him when he was out so he could pick him up (mostly because he knew Steve would be in no state to operate a vehicle-goodness, how did he manage to get home all the other times?)

His phone rang almost on cue. He almost dropped it in surprise.

"Yes, Steve?"

There was no answer.

"Steve can you hear me?"

Still nothing.

Tony ran out of the Tower faster than he had ever run before. He needed to get to him now. He ditched the car idea and flew in his suit. It was much faster and more convenient.

He zoomed through trees and telephone poles as he feared the worst. _I should never have let him go it alone. I should have told everyone and stood up to Davidson._ Tony was torturing himself with these thoughts until he saw Steve laying face down in the spot he told him he would be at. It was hidden in the trees so as not to arouse any suspicion.

"Steve? Steve!"

Tony tried to wake him. He put his hands on his face and shook him. Steve's head lolled around limply. He heard people coming, so he picked up the lifeless Captain America and set out.

Tony got to the Tower and went in through Steve's bedroom window. He put Steve on his bed and quickly took off the iron man suit. Steve remained lifeless.

Then he convulsed.

He convulsed again.

And again.

It was like he was being stung with a taser over and over again. He made guttural groaning noises that were forced out with every convulsion. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Tony frantically checked for a pulse. He could barely feel his heartbeat. _He's not breathing right._ He needed Bruce. He couldn't let Steve die, no matter what the cost was.

He shakily pulled out his cell phone and called him, "Bruce! Come to Steve's room, quick! He's not breathing right!"

"Wha…"

"Bruce just trust me. He needs you, now!"

Seconds later, Bruce burst in with a defibrillator and some other medical supplies.

"What happened to him?"

"I don't know, but he's not breathing right. His lips are blue and he won't stop convulsing."

Bruce ripped open his shirt and started doing chest compressions. When that didn't work, he did mouth to mouth. Still, he wasn't breathing. So he charged up the defibrillator. Steve's body jerked violently off the bed. Once, twice, three times.

"Come one Steve!"

The fourth time, Steve took in a long gasp of air. Tony had never thought that sound would make him as happy as it did just then.

Bruce wiped the sweat off his brow and went back examining him.

"Tony, what happened to him?"

"I told you I don't know. I just know that Davidson's been hurting him. For a long time, and he was forced to stay silent about it. And this time...gosh… this time was almost it."

"What do you mean Davidson's been hurting him?"

"You know how mad he was about damages and money? Well it turns out he was taking it out on cap this whole time and if he ever told anyone about it, he would make someone else do it."

Bruce looked dumbfounded. "So that's what was going on?"

Tony nodded his head.

A mangled cry ripped from Steve's throat. He was shaking. But soon shaking turned into flailing.

"Help me hold him down!" Bruce yelled.

Tony ran over and laid on top of Steve alongside Bruce. He was trembling so hard and his entire body was covered in sweat.

"No, please, no more. Please!" Steve groaned in agony.

"Steve, we are with you now. No one is going to hurt you anymore. You are never going back to that place again. I swear. I swear." Tony said soothingly.

After a while, he calmed down to a constant tremble.

"We have to figure out what happened if we are going to help him. There doesn't seem to be any outward damage other than a few bruises here and there." Bruce inquired.

Tony looked over Steve but couldn't find anything that would explain his current condition.

"Steve, can you hear me? Bruce and I need to know how to help you. What happened?"

There was no answer.

"Steve" Tony coerced.

Then, suddenly, Tony heard a meek sound.

"Burns…" Steve mumbled.

"Burns?" Bruce asked.

"It... burns…" Steve murmured once more, this time more agitated.

Then Tony remembered. "Steve mentioned they test drugs on him. Biological warfare stuff. Look for injection sites."

They searched his wrists and arms but found nothing. Then Tony checked his neck. There were about 6 injection sites on one side and 7 on the other.

"Damn." Bruce gasped.

"So what does that mean?" Tony asked.

"That means we wait it out. I have no idea what drug it was so there is no way for me to find an antidote. We just have to deal with the symptoms. Go get some ice packs to help cool him down."

Tony ran to the freezer as if it were the most important thing he had ever done. And quite frankly, it was. He needed to save Steve. It was his own fault that he didn't notice all of this sooner. Now it was on him to bring his best friend back from the brink.

The ice seemed to help for a bit but then the flailing started up again and Tony and Bruce had to hold him down yet again.

Steve screamed in agony.

It was a sound that they both knew they would never forget. It was something they had never heard before and prayed to God that they would never have to hear again. He was their leader, their rock. Seeing him like this was unnerving. Steve clutched Tony's shirt and twisted it in his hands. Any sort of release Tony could offer was worth it. Hell, he would have traded places with him then and there if he could.

In a moment of rare lucidity, Steve looked at Tony with fear in his eyes.

"Steve, hold on. Fight through this."

Steve stared back and said nothing. He could only whimper. His eyes closed tight against the pain.

"Can we give him something for the pain!?", Tony asked Bruce in desperation.

"He would burn right through it. It's no use. His metabolism is jacked."

"Damn it!" Tony screamed.

Steve eventually stopped his flailing once more and settled into an occasional shudder. His breathing was rapid and uneven as he continued to whimper pathetically.

Tony just sat and stared at the mighty Captain America who had been brought low by a sick, greedy old man. Tony's conscious was eating away at him. "Is there really nothing else we can do besides wait?"

Bruce nodded tiredly. It was the middle of the night, but they dared not to leave him in case he went into one of his fits again.

"Tony, is he gonna have to keep going back to Davidson?"

"No. I have somebody on it already. In fact they should have an answer for me by tomorrow if they found anything on this guy. If they do, we can call the cops on him immediately and this whole nightmare will be behind us."

"I think we should tell the others. They may know things that we don't about him. Lord knows what Natasha could find out about this guy."

"Thats a good idea. Tomorrow morning we'll all have a sit down. That is… if he lasts…" Tony said slowly, looking at Steve.

"Believe me, I have seen this guy fight off drugs before. It had never been this bad, but he always found a way to beat it on his own in good time."

"But how come these drugs could work on him, but painkillers wouldn't? Aren't they the same in principle?"

"Yes, they are. But I remember last year,he came into my office with complaints of chest pains and dizziness. Turns out he was ingested a significant dose of a very dangerous chemical that would have killed 10 grown men easily. He still feels the effects of it, but usually his metabolism fights it off so quickly that it's like it never entered his body in the first place. So the key for these guys was to give him so much at one time, that he couldn't keep up with it."

"A bombardment."

"Exactly. Davidson must have had a hell of a lot of drugs to get him into this state. Like, more drugs than I have ever seen in my life put together."

"Where would he get that much from?"

"I don't know. But I can tell you right now it certainly wasn't legal."

Tony perked up at that, "What did you just say?"

"I said it certainly wasn't legal." Bruce said again.

Tony stood up suddenly. "I have to go make a call." and he ran out of the room.

"Liza, have you found anything yet?" Tony spoke into his phone nervously.

"We think we are onto something. It seems like Davidson has been in contact with some suspicious people. We checked his recent transactions and it seems like he has bought a lot of stuff from him, but according to HQ, nothing of that quantity has been shipped there recently."

 _That's because he's hiding it._

"You have to keep your eyes open. We have reason to believe that he's buying biological warfare or drugs. And it makes sense he would buy it in that amount. He has to be hiding it."

"The only thing that S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ gets in that amount is food and water to feed their troops. Nothing else even comes close to that."

 _Food and water._

"Liza. I have to go. I think I have a lead. Just check on the food and water supplies right now. Where they come from, who's shipping them etc. I need to know everything about it. I'll text you soon."

Tony rushed back into Steve's room. Bruce looked up lazily.

"Has he woken yet?" Tony asked anxiously.

"No."

Steve laid on the bed in a more rested manner than when Tony had left him. The serum was a marvel to behold. He was clearly getting better.

"Steve! Steve!" Tony tried to coerce Steve into waking.

"Tony he's not going to wake so easily. He needs at least a few more hours."

Tony sat back on the bed in frustration. "I need to know how Davidson is smuggling the drugs into HQ. Steve mentioned the fact that he always felt weak and dizzy whenever he went to meet with him. I think Davidson has been giving him the drugs in smaller doses all along to keep him sedated, but not enough to really notice. Just to make him weaker and more tired."

"Easier to subdue."

"Exactly… Remember when we were being debriefed by Davidson and Fury about a month ago?"

"Yeah, when they basically told us it was our fault that New York City was torn up."

"Remember when Davidson whispered in Steve's ear, and then he gave him a water bottle?"

"Yeah. That was uber creepy. What does that have to do with anything?"

"I think it's in the water. He gives it to him right before he beats him to make him easily subdued like you said."

"'That would explain his uncharacteristically exhausted behavior."

"I need to know if Steve is forced to drink from the same water bottles when he's there."

"That would make sense. But I'm sorry to say that Steve won't be waking for another couple of hours at least."

Tony whipped out his phone.

He sent a text saying, "CHECK THE WATER BOTTLES FOR TRACES OF DRUGS."

"I guess we'll have to wait it out then." Tony said as he took his regular spot in the armchair next to his bed.


	5. Chapter 5

During the night, Steve would cry out and whimper and beg and tremble. Tony would always be right there for him, holding his hand and whispering assurances in his ear. Whatever battle Steve had been facing on his own for the past month or so had been exposed then and there. Steve said things that hinted at what they had been doing to him and they hadn't been pretty. Tony actually contemplated getting his headphones because the screams and whimpers had been horrifying to him.

Bruce had gone down to the lab to research possible drugs that were given to Steve.

The sun rose when Steve finally opened his eyes. He looked around and saw Tony sitting with his elbows on his knees and his head down, with one hand holding his own.

"Tony?" Steve croaked weakly.

Tony practically lept off the chair. "Steve! My goodness you're awake! How are you feeling? Do you need water?"

"I could use some water yeah."

Tony grabbed a cup of water from the bedside table he had laid out and helped him drink it. Steve was still too weak to sit up on his own, so he had to use a straw to get anything down.

Steve settled back on his bed once he was properly hydrated.

"Tony.. what happened?"

"You're asking me? I was hoping you would tell me."

"I don't remember anything past the injections."

"Did anything happen before that? Did he give you any water to drink?"

"I just remember him being angrier than I had ever seen before." his voice cracked with distant fear.

"Did he make you drink anything?"

"What? No."

"Are you sure? This is really important."

"No, Tony. He didn't."

Just then Tony's phone buzzed.

NEGATIVE ON THE FOOD AND WATER. THEY ARE CLEAN. ANY OTHER IDEAS?

"Damn it."

"What?" Steve asked in worry.

"I thought he was drugging you through the water. He never made you drink anything when you met with him?"

"No."

 _Then how was he doing it? He has to be smuggling it somehow._

Tony looked at Steve. He was rubbing his face with his hands.

"Hey, Steve, how are you holding up?"

Steve lowered his hand from his face and breathed out a sigh. "I'm alright. Nothing I haven't been through before." Steve meant for this to be a reassurance Tony but it didn't quite have that effect. Tony held back tears.

Bruce walked into his room. Steve immediately tried to sit up, but failed miserably.

Tony, sensing Steve's distress, said, "It's ok Steve, Bruce knows."

"He does?" Steve's face dropped.

"Yeah it's a good thing. You would have been dead if Tony hadn't called me." Bruce said nonchalantly.

Steve looked confused.

"Oh yeah, Steve, you gave us a run for our money. If it weren't for our trusty doctor over here, you would have been toast. Look, I know you don't want anyone to know, but I think my people are close enough to finding incriminating evidence on Davidson. I think we should tell the team."

Steve stirred under the blankets. "Tony…"

"No, Steve, listen."

"Tony. No one is supposed to know about this. No one! He made this very clear."

"He doesn't have control over you anymore! It doesn't matter!"

"Yes it does! You don't know the power he has over people. You don't know how deep his influence runs. Even when I'm here, I feel like he can see me somehow. Like he knows."

"Steve, that's ridiculous."

"Tony. You don't know. You don't know what I went through. What I am still going through."

Tony stopped. "Steve, I know you are going through messed up stuff. But you have to trust us. We are your family. We would die for you."

"That's precisely what I'm afraid of."

"Steve. We want to help you. We have to tell the others. They could help us."

Steve said nothing.

"Please, Steve. If they can help us get even one step closer to incriminating Davidson, it will be worth it."

Steve, Bruce and Tony sat there in silence for a minute until Steve finally said, "Fine. But no one says anything or does anything to Davidson until we can get the cops involved."

Tony, trying not to celebrate too hard, stood up coolly and said, "Deal."

Steve laid in his bed while Tony broke the news to the team. As expected they were outraged and upset, and a few tears were silently shed as Tony explained the situation.

Natasha sat next to Steve on the bed while the rest of them stood over him.

There was silence for a little while after Tony finished. No one could think of anything to say. There really was nothing to be said. Their Captain had been tortured almost every day for over a month and no one knew it.

"I'm so sorry Steve." Natasha said as she rubbed his arm.

"Yeah, Steve. This sucks. I guess we aren't a real family after all if we can't even notice a thing like this happening to the best of us." Clint chimed in.

"Steve, brother, I am truly shamed that I took no notice of this. Will you accept my apology?" Thor stated.

Steve smiled. "Of course. You guys don't have to be sorry. I meant to keep it a secret from you guys."

"That still doesn't justify us not noticing you being half dead for a month." Clint retorted.

Tony cut in, "Look I know we are all sorry and whatever, but we need to focus on getting Steve out of this abusive relationship. The best way we know how is to incriminate him and get the cops involved. I have people following leads about possible drug purchases in large quantities, but we need to figure out how he is smuggling it into HQ without anyone noticing. Once we find that, this can all be over. Natasha, you are particularly good at this type of thing. Why don't you and Clint head down to HQ and look around. But remember secrecy is key. Once he finds out about us, all hell will break loose."

"Got it." Natasha said. Clint followed her out of the room.

"I will go and talk to Director Fury to see if he knows anything." Thor declared and walked out.

"I'm gonna go back to the lab and see if I can find anything more about what type of drug it could be." Bruce said.

"Ok sounds good." Tony said. He watched Bruce leave. This left Tony and Steve alone in the room.

Steve started to cough weakly.

"Easy there big guy. More water?"

Steve nodded. Still too weak to sit up, Tony helped him through it.

"Thanks," Steve gasped. "Do you think you could help me stand up? I could use the blood flow."

Tony immediately took the blankets off Steve's weak form. Steve moved his legs off the bed with great effort and needed help sitting on the edge.

"Ok let's take a breather." Tony suggested.

Steve laughed. "You know the last time I was this weak, I was 90 pounds. It makes me appreciate everything ya know? Even though it's been a rough month, I still would never give it up. I love being a part of the team. I love being able to make a difference for good."

"I don't know what we'd do without you, Steve. You are the glue that keeps us together. Without you we'd fall apart."

"Thanks. I know that Davidson bullied me into being distant from you guys, but I think that was the hardest part of it all. I couldn't really be a part of the team. I missed you , I do feel like his hold on me is breaking."

"Well, it is, Steve. We've got you now. You don't need to worry about him anymore."

Steve smiled. "Ready to stand up?"

Steve put his arm around Tony's shoulder and Tony put his arm around Steve's waist.

With great effort they somehow managed to stand up. Steve was leaning heavily on Tony but found his footing enough to walk over to the armchair that Tony had taken up residence in the past two nights. He was right near the window now and looked out with fondness over the city.

Tony's cell phone rang. "Oh shoot, I have to take this. Can I put you down here just for a second?"

"Of course." Steve replied.

Once he got Steve into a good sitting position, Tony left the room.

"Liza? Please tell me you have good news." Tony pleaded.

"Mr. Stark, we have searched just about every corner of that building and have found nothing. It's completely clean."

"What do you mean, you searched the building? He isn't supposed to know you are investigating him."

"I know Mr. Stark, but we were so sure that we would find the drugs that we searched anyway."

Tony's world spun. "Do you know what you've just done!?"

He hung up the phone and ran to Steve's room.

Steve was gone.

There was only an open window with the curtains blowing in the room from the breeze.

"CRAP." Tony screamed. "STEVE! STEVE! WHERE ARE YOU?"

He checked the bathroom, the kitchen and the living room, but there was no sign of Steve. He quickly put his iron man suit on and flew around the outside of the Tower, scanning, searching for any kind of sign that Steve was still alive, that he was alright. He searched for miles. _How did they get away so fast?_ After a while, he had to give up. Upon entering the Tower, he asked Jarvis, "What happened to Steve?"

"He was taken sir."

"By who?"

"I could not tell, sir. He was wearing black and came in through the window."

Tony let out a frustrated scream. They had just gotten Steve back from Davidson and they were on the brink of ending it all. Then it dawned on him, _Davidson was never going to make one of us switch places with Steve. He always wanted Steve to test drugs and stuff on to see how far his serum would go to survive. This was never about money or damages. This was about Steve and the serum._

Tony's world spun. He felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. _This is all my fault. I sent everyone away and they just came in and took him._

Another realization hit Tony like a brick. _How did he know?_

Tony dashed into Steve's room and ripped it apart, trying to find a microphone or a camera. He found a wire at the bottom of his bookcase and traced it to a book which turned out to be fake. There was a camera in his room, watching everything transpire. It must have seen and heard everything that happened. That's how he knew everyone found out about him and that's how he knew Steve was alone for that small amount of time.

Tony felt violated. It wasn't even his room, but it was his Tower. _How did they get in here?_

Then Tony remembered passing a repairman on the stairs right after the big battle in New York. It just now occurred to him that he had never called anyone for repairs.

"Jarvis! Who came in here about a month ago to do repairs on the Tower?"

"He was sent by S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Like hell he was. What exactly did he do?"

"Well, sir, he worked primarily in Captain Roger's quarters. He spent a lot of time in the bathroom."

"The bathroom?"

"More specifically, the sink."

Tony ran to Steve's bathroom. It was extremely clean and well kept. Hell, it even smelled nice. Nothing like Tony's.

Tony turned on the sink and ran his hand under the water. He then sniffed his hand and went reeling. "What is this, Jarvis?"

"It would appear to be some sort of drug, sir."

 _That's how he did it. He laced Steve's water source with it. So every time he took a shower, washed his hands, his face, he was getting me it's a lot and I would have noticed right away, but to Steve, its nothing. That's why he never noticed it._

Tony felt so stupid he could have kicked himself.

He picked up his phone and called Liza, explaining everything to her. "Get the cops in here now! There's gotta be enough drugs in here to put him away. I'm going to HQ."

Tony put his suit on and started on his way to HQ when Natasha called, "Stark! I just saw some guys pushing cap into the back door. And he's handcuffed. What happened?"

"I'll explain on the way. Call Bruce, Thor and Clint and get them down there. We need to stop them."

"Is he going to be OK?"

"...I don't know…"

Tony landed amidst the trees opposite of HQ. _Ok, just go in there, break a few necks, get cap, get out.. Easy Peasy._

He creeped closer to the building and waited. There had been a lot of activity buzzing around the building. _Probably because Liza decided to unleash a full scale investigation behind my back._

When all was still, Tony crept up to the door that Natasha had said Cap was led through. He prayed that no one would be on the other side of the door when he opened it.

Slowly.

Slowly.

He peeked his head in and to his relief, there was no one to be seen in either direction. He walked in as quietly as he could. _Where are you keeping him, Davidson?_

Just then, he heard a short yelp off in the distance. He turned the corner to try and locate it when everything went black.


	6. Chapter 6

Tony opened his eyes and immediately noticed the burning heat and immensely bright light shining directly on his face. The room was dark and he couldn't see anything around the light. He tried to move his arms but realized they were tied behind his chair.

"What the…" Tony slurred. His head was pounding. He must have been knocked out.

"Mr. Stark, it's good to see you've finally come around to the land of the living." The voice came from a figure beyond the light.

"Who is that?" Tony asked, trying to hide the fear that washed over him.

The man stepped into the light. _Davidson._

"What have you done with him?"

"Mr. Stark. I have a proposition. I know you know about my little "hobby" I've cooked up recently. I mean. THE Captain America was under my control as chief, how was I NOT supposed to use that to my advantage? It was too tempting," he laughed. "I was far too tempted to resist such an opportunity. I mean only after a month I've learned more things about the serum than even he probably knew. Everyone has seen what he can do on the battlefield, but have they seen how he can fight off biological warfare with only his natural processes? How he can be beaten within an inch of his life and recover quickly enough to drive himself home after a few hours? How long he can go without food and water and sleep? No one had dared to go where I had gone with him."

"Yeah, that's probably because most people have this thing called 'morals'. Ever heard of it? You should try it out sometime.."

Tony was hit hard in the face.

"You'd do best to keep your mouth shut. Or do you want me to teach you a lesson, like I did to your Captain?"

Tony went white with fear for Steve's life all over again.

"Mr. Stark. I was on top of the world. Having a super soldier such as Captain America under my thumb? But all of that was ruined when you interfered. Did you really think I wouldn't know what you were up to? You're little plan to 'free him'? So noble, Mr. Stark. I have to hand it to you. But science always wins."

"How is that science? You were torturing him."

"Torturing? He should be thankful for what I did for him. Because of me, he now knows more things about himself than he ever did before. You know those aliens that invaded New York? Yeah, well guess what some of my men pulled from the wreckage? Biological Warfare materials that never went off. The things that would have happened to the innocent New Yorkers would have been beyond a nightmare. And guess what? I found a drug much like the one they were about to set off."

"I don't get it. Then why did you test them on Steve if you knew he could handle it."

"You still don't understand it do you? You are so stuck on this torturing thing that you still fail to realize the big picture. Go ahead name me the villain. I tested the drugs on Steve to see if he could fight it, not for entertainment purposes, but because if aliens ever did set off their biological warfare, we may have a cure for it with the help of the serum."

 _A cure. He was giving Steve drugs to make a cure with the serum._

"Go ahead and point fingers all you want, but the next time something like this happens again, and I single handedly save New York from horrific biological warfare, remember this. The government wants to keep tabs on you, you know this. If some drug fell out of the sky tomorrow and we were helpless to stop it, it would be the end of the avengers. It would be the end of S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm saving your asses by doing this."

"Yeah, well I think we can do without it. Did you ever think there was another, easier, more moral way of finding a cure than by torturing Steve?"

"Mr. Stark there is no time to think about morals. Only results."

Tony suddenly felt hot. The light had been shining on him the whole time and he was sweating, but the last comment made him anxious. Anxious to find Steve. Anxious to get out of there and never look back.

"So where is he?"

"Captain Rogers? Well he's right here." the lights turned on on cue to reveal a much larger room than Tony had been expecting. Next to Tony, on his right was a long hospital bed with Steve laying on top of it. His eyes were dim and he blinked against the sudden burst of light. There was also a myriad of IV's hooked up to his arms and neck. There was a deep red substance lining the tubes.

"Steve! What are you doing to him?"

"Doing to him? He's helping us find a cure once and for all. And he should be very proud of himself." At this, Davidson walked over and rubbed Steve's head as tears dribbled from the corners of his eyes and into his hair. "No need to be nervous, Captain."

Tony couldn't believe his eyes. _He's draining blood._

"So what are you going to drain all of his blood until you can figure out the cure? That sounds like a great plan." Tony spat sarcastically.

"Oh, Mr. Stark. Don't be silly. I won't drain ALL of his blood. Unless we need to."

"You're a lunatic."

"You'll be thanking me soon enough. Right now, just sit back and watch the magic happen."

A TV screen lit up in the corner of the room. There was a bunch of numbers in red blinking and changing with every second. "This TV is showing the live updates of the data we are receiving from the Captain's blood. It's trying every possible combination known to man. Once it lights up green and the numbers stop changing, that means we've found it. And we can stop draining his blood."

Davidson turned to leave.

"What if it never stops?" Tony said, straightening in his chair.

Davidson stopped and spoke over his shoulder. "Let's hope it won't get to that point… for the Captain's sake."

With that, Tony was left alone with a semi-conscious Steve.


	7. Chapter 7

"Steve! Are you ok?" Tony struggled against his bonds. He was tied up with rope to his chair. While Steve laid on the bed like a corpse.

Steve opened his eyes and blinked slowly like he was trying to register that there was someone else in the room with him. He clearly had lots of blood drained already. _His brain's gonna go soon._

Tony struggled against the rope with as much force as he could muster. It was a shame that Davidson had his iron man suit removed from him. He bent down and used his teeth and it actually helped loosen the knot slightly. He was working with all of the determination he could muster. He needed to get to Steve, plain and simple. After all he blamed himself entirely for this whole situation.

He heard Steve wheeze. In and out. It started out slowly at first, but then he noticed that Steve was struggling in the bed, gasping for air. His lips had a blue tinge to it. _He's not breathing._

"STEVE. STEVE!" Tony yelled at the top of his lungs. He went into panic mode as he struggled against his bonds. By some miracle of God, the ropes were getting more and more slack until he squeezed one hand free and quickly went to work undoing the other hand with his teeth and free hand as he occasionally looked back at Steve, who was slowing down his movements. This was not good. This was really not good at all. "HOLD ON." Tony squeezed the other hand free and sprinted to Steve. He slammed Steve's naked chest over and over to get his heart to start pumping again. He put his ear to his lips and didn't feel any breath, so he went at it again. Slamming and slamming. "COME ONE BIG GUY." Still, no breath sounded from Steve's lips. Steve's eyes were rolling in the back of his head and he was growing more limp by the second. Tony put his lips on Steve's and started doing mouth to mouth. If Steve couldn't breathe on his own, Tony would gladly do it for him.. (As long as there were no receipts). It took a full minute of chest compressions and mouth to mouth until Steve could breathe on his own again.

"Oh thank you God." Tony said in complete gratitude. He wiped his sweat off his brow. He looked down at Steve who was trembling and terribly pale. His eyes were hollow but there was some level of recognition there as he glanced at the man who had just saved his life. Tears fell down his face and he closed his eyes as the blood was being drawn endlessly. Tony eyed the TV screen. How long did this have to go on? His heart already stopped for goodness sakes. Davidson would bleed him dry until he found a cure.

He looked around the room for any possible sign of escape. There were no windows. Just one door. He pulled and pulled on it, but to no avail. It was bolted completely shut. What he wouldn't give for some Steve manpower right now. He looked back at Steve. He was a shadow of the man he once was. He was terribly weak and vulnerable. And there was nothing Tony could do about it. Not a damn thing.

He let out a sigh of frustration. There was nothing he could do except wait. Wait for rescue or death. Whichever came first. He hoped Natasha found a way in with the others. Right now, that was their only hope.

He heard Steve whimper pathetically. Tony's heart broke. He looked to see if there was a way for him to just pull the plug on the IV'S but Tony had no idea how to operate these things. And the one connected to Steve's neck looked really deep. It might be connected to the major artery. He couldn't risk it. If he couldn't do anything to stop the blood flow, he could at least comfort Steve and help him fight on.

He walked over to Steve's bed and wiped away the younger man's tears. His eyes were half lidded. He was going through hell. Tony couldn't help it. He climbed up in the bed and curled up next to his best friend. Tony situated Steve so that his head was leaning on Tony's shoulder. He rubbed his arms and told him stories of the mighty Captain America that his father used to tell about him. Steve probably couldn't register a single word but Tony didn't care. If there was a shred of hope that this would help him survive, he would do it.

"I'm sorry big guy. I'm sorry I got you into this mess. And I'm sorry they took you. I should never have left you. I should never have left. Just hold on for me. For us. The team. The fam. We need you more than you know. You mean the world to us. Please, Steve, don't give up. I Know it hurts. I know."


	8. Chapter 8

Tony listened to Steve struggle to breathe for an hour. Every minute, every second of it was torture. For the first time in his life, he prayed. Just like Steve asked him to do the day before. There was nothing he could do to save Steve. It was killing him to lay there and listen to Steve lose this fight.

Davidson suddenly entered the room. "Get him up, quickly," He barked at his bodyguards.

They walked over to Steve's bed and lifted him up. Another guard caried the IV bags full of Steve's blood behind him so it wouldn't detach. Steve opened his eyes only for a second but was too weak to remain fully conscious.

Tony also stood up from the bed. A guard grabbed him by the crook of his arm and led him towards the door, behind Steve.

"Let's go." Davidson ordered. Tony had never heard him this serious. _There must be something wrong._

They were led out of the room they were being held in and down the hall. Tony heard a loud crash. There was a fight going on.

"Turn around, quickly." Davidson and his men moved fast.

 _It's the avengers. They came._

Tony's heart fluttered. There was hope. Hope for Steve's survival.

He was shoved into a small dark room.

"Keep them quiet!"

Instantly the guards put their hands on both Steve and Tony's mouth. The noises from outside were getting louder and closer. Tony heard Natasha's voice, "Check everywhere! We have to find them!"

Tony almost laughed at the sight of Davidson sweating in anxiety. But his amusement was cut short when he noticed Steve convulsing. Tony screamed and kicked and did anything to get their attention. Davidson kicked Tony hard in the midsection. "Stop it!" Tony didn't stop. Steve couldn't breathe with a hand over his mouth. Davidson noticed the convulsions. "Take your hand off his mouth! Give him CPR! We can't have him dying on us!"

The guards laid him down and pounded his chest over and over. Tony watched in horror as Steve once again was facing death. The noises outside were getting closer. _Get here, Nat! Quick!'_

Before the guards had to resort to mouth to mouth Steve started breathing again. Everyone visibly relaxed as they had just barely kept him alive for the second time.

The noises outside seemed to have dissipated. Davidson quietly opened the door and poked his head through. "Let's go!". Once again they were on the run from the very people that could save them. Tony glanced over at Steve. Tears came to his eyes when he saw how weak and pale their Captain looked. Looking at him now, he would have never known that he was a famous super soldier known for his strength and determination. He was sickly and weak and vulnerable.

They were heading outside to the airfield. Before Tony could even process what was going on, a quinjet was opening before them. _Oh no. this is not good._ He looked around for any sign of the team. Just then, lightning lit up the sky and a mysterious object damaged the very quinjet they were about to get on. They turned to see Thor and the rest of the avengers behind them.

"Give Steve and Tony to us." Clint shouted.

"Nice try, Barton. I think it's gonna take a little more than that to get them from me."

"Alright, we tried." Clint sighed.

The fighting commenced. Tony immediately took out the guard holding him and with a little help from Thor, took down the man holding Steve. As the rest of the team fought the guards and Davidson, Tony ran to Steve who was lying on the concrete. He knelt behind him and lifted up his upper body and leaned over him so that Steve's back rested against Tony's thighs. He took out the IV's hooked up to his arms, but the ones in his neck were too deep for him to safely remove on his own. He needed Bruce. He looked around and noticed that the hulk wasn't around. _He must not have turned._

"Nat! Nat! Where is Bruce?" Tony shouted.

Natasha throat punched a guard. "What!?"

"WHERE'S BRUCE?!"

"Back at the Tower!"

 _Great._

He needed to get there now. "Nat, can you fly one of these?!"

"Of course!"

"Come on! Steve needs him!"

Nat took out another guard and ran to the nearest quinjet with Tony and a fading Steve behind her. It took 5 minutes to get to the Tower, thanks to the immense speed of the aircraft.

"Jarvis! Tell Bruce to meet me in Steve's room stat!"

"On it, sir."

Tony and Natasha carried Steve to his room. For a guy who's had his blood drained for the past few hours, he was still extremely heavy. With great effort, they managed to get him on his bed. He looked placid and clammy and his breaths were coming in heaves now. They were running out of time.

Bruce busted in. "What happened?"

"Just help me get these IV's out of his neck!" Tony said as he set the bags next to Steve.

Bruce ran over and took a look at his neck. "This is not good. These are really deep. He can't take anymore bloodloss, so I'm going to have to stitch it up as soon as we take them out or he could die."

"Ok. what can we do?" Natasha asked.

Bruce took a deep sigh. "You can keep him alive. Talk to him, hold his hand. Let him know he's going to be ok."

Almost as if on cue, Steve stirred. "Tony…." he slurred ever so quietly. It was so weak and breathy, everyone in the room almost missed it. But Tony didn't. In the last 3 days, Tony had sadly become accustomed to hearing weak voices and comforting the hurt.

"I'm here big guy. No need to worry. We'll have you patched up in no time and this whole nightmare can finally end."

Tony knelt and held his hand while Nat sat on the bed and held his other hand. Bruce quickly removed the IV's and worked as efficiently as he could to stitch his neck up. Steve flinched a couple of times but never woke.

The next morning, Tony woke up with a crick in his neck. He had fallen asleep on the floor with his upper body propped up by the bedside table. He noticed that his hand was still holding Steve's. _That's weird. How did I hold onto him the whole night?_ Then he noticed that Steve's grip was significantly stronger than the night before.

Tony looked at the clock. It was 8 am. Nat and Bruce were sleeping in their spots from the night before as well. Tony got a text from Liza:

WE FOUND THE EVIDENCE. POLICE ARE HANDLING IT. CASE CLOSED.

Tony breathed a sigh of relief as he slowly stood up and cracked his back and his neck. He looked own at Steve who looked better than the night before. He rubbed his hand on his forehead and said a small thank you to God for keeping his best friend alive when all was bleak.

"Tony?" Steve said slowly.

"Goodness, Steve… how are you feeling?"

"Tired and weak."

"Well that's to be expected."

"What happened to me?"

Tony couldn't help but laugh. "You know we really got to stop meeting like this. You waking up in a bed; sick and dying. Me watching over you all night long. You're going to give me a heart attack. I hope you know that."

Steve smiled weakly. He closed his eyes in exhaustion.

Tony recognized this and said, "why don't you get some sleep? We can talk later."

"Thank you." Steve said unexpectedly.

"For what?"

"For everything. For being a friend when I needed it most."

Tony's eyes brimmed with tears. "It's my pleasure, big guy."

The next week was an improvement. By the second day, Steve no longer needed support to walk. He was getting stronger with every minute. It was a time of continuous 'we're glad you're safe now's' and 'thank you's'; but it was also a time for Steve to relearn some things. Like how to assert his opinions, how to stand up for himself again, how to be ok with physical contact again. It was a journey, but it was well worth it. The team had never been closer and they trusted and appreciated Steve now more than ever before.


End file.
